Suspect Attempts 'Triangle Choke' On Maine Officer

Officer Tim Shaw responded to the home of Anthony King, 24, with the department's mental health liason. A struggle ensued in which King attempted a "triangle choke" mixed martial arts move on the officer.

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Comments (3)

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D. Elliott @ 12/5/2012 6:28 AM

Thanks for the article and the escape pictures. The problem with the techniques shown is that it requires the officer to engage the suspect on the same level. The officer in the picture is wearing a duty belt, but no visible armor - which restricts movement and respiration in a ground fight -and he is wearing comfortable clothing and gym shoes. It is further obvious that he is a practitioner. Most cops are not and will never be proficient at such ground manuevers. In Tennessee, police officers are restricted from using neck restraints except in situations where deadly force would be authorized. By that standard, if a suspect is attempting to choke out the officer, it would then be REASONABLE to assume that his intention is to disable or kill the officer. If the officer loses conciousness, he cannot protect himself from disarmament or death. For this reason, I advocate carrying a backup gun at the ankle. In the rear choke it can be accessed and the suspect engaged over the officer's shoulder, at the waist/side or in the thigh. Second recommendation is to carry the tactical folder opposite the duty firearm. If the firearm is locked up due to the hold, draw the knife and attack the offending members - that is, to cut the choking limbs at disabling points - cuts to areas just above or below joints or stabs to large muscle mass causing dysfunction.Folks, we are not mixed martial artists and we are not expected to deal with violence against us on an equal level. By all means learn these techniques, but realize that escalating force to save your life is REASONABLE and that is the standard that LEO's must meet.(Graham v. Conner)

Jim Van Gorder @ 12/5/2012 7:59 AM

D. Elliott - You are completely correct. We are not engaged in a game. The sooner officers realize this, the better off we will be. Understand this, if an officer is being choked, the suspect is not doing it just to escape or to prove he is the better fighter. Once he has the upper hand, the officer can be killed at leisure. But also understand, the news media will say, "Unarmed man killed by officer." or "Unarmed suspect stabbed/butchered by police." Today we are in a "now-win" situation. We do however have a responsibility to ourselves, our families and our fellow officers to take those actions to ensure we return to them.

Robocop @ 12/5/2012 8:28 AM

D. Elliott, you are correct. As a LEO you are NOT allowed to lose a fight. This IS NOT a game, it is a life or death situation at that point. Yes the news media will scream and bitch BUT, you will still be correct, even if you end up killing him over this. If you are placed in a choke hold or sleeper hold you have only seconds to react and stop the threat. There is no time to think about it, just act and the use of deadly force IS appropriate.

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